Arrival in Italy and first days in Cortona

The plane ride went well. I stopped at Chicago and Washington. Left Edmonton at around 8 am on the Januuary 1, and arrived at Rome Fiumicia Airport at 8 am on Saturday (16 hours later--8 hour time difference). Took train to central station downtown, then a city bus to my hostel, the Hotel di Roma. It was good. Included breakfast and internet. That day I walked to the coliseum and the excavation, saw the Tigris, and some other sites, then walked back. Went to bed early. Sunday, took the metro to the Vatican and attended the mass. Then went outside to St. Peter's Square and saw Pope Benedict 16 give his weekly blessing. The piazza was full of people. Walked back a ways, then took bus to hostel. That night went to a restaurant with a roommate. Monday met my school group at the train station. We took a bus from Rome to Cortona. The town is located on a hill in Tuscany. Architecture very medieval. The student hostel where I'm staying used to be a convent, 800 years old. Looks like a castle inside the dining hall. Rooms are nice and big. Have 2 roommates. There was a leek from the ceiling as it was raining a lot, but that has stopped. We are fed breakfast and supper. The food is great, and the staff very welcoming. Had orientation on Tuesday. The school is less than 10-minute walk away. Also an old building. Across the street from the residence is a church. We went to the neighbouring town of Cammucia to get some groceries and stuff. Yesterday, Wednesday, was a lazy day, a national holiday in Italy. Today was the first day of classes. I had Italian and Classics, both look promising. Tomorrow many of us will travel to Florence to buy some textbooks and just explore. We will stay there until Sunday. Classes are only on Monday to Thursday. In sum, the trip is going well so far. My arthritis is bothering me, but I expected it to act up during and following my long journey. Hopefully, I will feel better soon. Hello to everyone back home.